Does anyone know of a PFRPG or D20 product that gives templates for creating barbarian tribes for your campaign world? I'm looking for something with a nice generic guidance and set of rules.
Any help is hot, thanks!
josh@avlis.org
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I usually cheat and use whatever tribes go with the world I am playing on, ie-Uthgardt for Forgotten Realms and Shoanti for Golarion, since they are usually well fleshed out and developed. I did however, come up with a bunch of rituals, tribal practices, and system of currency made out of slain monster trophys called Kinlawh. for my old FR game. Basically if you killed a powerful opponent in single combat you could claim a body part as a trophy called a "kinfar", which were like a combination of badges of honor and currency among the tribes.
You are more than welcome to use whatever you like from it if you find it useful, it was mostly to add some color to the two barbarians in my party. On the other hand, they used to try to "solo" big opponents often times to gain their "kinfar", and there were several IC party fights about "helping" out :)
Does anyone know of a PFRPG or D20 product that gives templates for creating barbarian tribes for your campaign world?
You know, you really can take the template thing too far :P.
The thing is that those barbarian tribes are as varied on Golarion as they are everywhere else.
They're barbaric, in one sense of the word or the other. Honour and so on. Bravery. Big frikkin weapons.
Sure, I get totally what you guys are saying, but what I'm really wondering about is what sort of headings would you put in a tribe writeup?
Sure, I get totally what you guys are saying, but what I'm really wondering about is what sort of headings would you put in a tribe writeup?
First, remember, as much as Paizo supplies rules and info for Golarion, the DM is still in charge and your campaign is your campaign to change, alter, or tweak as you wish.
In my Campaign World which I've spent the last 26 years developing, I have a partial continental region that is full of tribes based loosely on Native North and South American tribes, even a bit of flavor from African tribes as well. Some of the tribes are allied, and others neutral or aggressive towards one another. Each is based upon a particular terrain - temperate forest, swamps, rain forest, islands, hills, mountains, tundra, plains, savannah, and desert.
For my write-ups, I focused primarily on flavor, such as their tribal dress, preferred armor/shields, favored weapons, physical appearance (hair styles, tattoos, etc.), favored ancestral animals, and even the type of dragon that serves as their tribe’s patron guardian. Regardless of the tribe, they all tended to be primarily of certain classes. Warriors tended to be barbarians of course, but also rangers, and fighters. Tribal priests tended to be druid, sorcerer and shaman (from 3.5), and now the witch or oracle, who add a new level of flavor. Despite the different classes typically available to them, they are all considered “barbarian” tribes, or at least primitive in nature.
As for headings for your write-up, I would use the following:
Tribal Name
Tribal Region/Terrain
Tribal Animals/Deities
Tribal Population/Size
Tribal Weapons/Armor
Tribal Figures
Overall, barbarians are barbarians, save for the differences in tribal flavor, practices, rituals, and dress. That’s my two bits. Hope it helps.
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I might also add:
real world similar culture (for purposes of design and translation to players)
why do they stay barbarians (harsh land, worship of a barbarian god, cultural pride, etc)
Why are there separate tribes? ie-what makes them all different and why aren't they one big tribe? ie-clan structure, animal totem structure, environmental terrain limitations structure
These are the first three questions I ask myself when I design barbarian tribes. Not exactly what you were asking for, but you should be able to answer any other questions fairly quickly if you have these three down, imo... ymmv
One idea that might be helpful for you. (And I might do it myself some day.)
Buy some index cards and either buy or check out some books about primitive tribes of various places of the world. Go through the books and write features on the cards such as:
"Worships a sky god"
"Sets up giant stone statues"
"Practices polyandry (one woman with multiple husbands)"
You can also add your own features, features from movies, go through RPG sources for features, etc, such as
"Amazon culture"
"Shamans use Rainbow Servant Prestige Class (from Complete Divine)"
"Worships twin goddesses"
Then you can just deal yourself out a barbarian tribe. Sometimes I will use a normal playing card to determine to draw 1-4 cards. So I could have a polyandrous culture that worships twin goddesses and sets up giant stone statues.
You can keep adding to the deck as you find more books, movies, RPGS, and inspiration. You can even add in "civilized" traits that could plausibly be present in a primitive culture, such as "Paints their objects in bright, primary colors" or "wears stiff cylindrical hats".
Thanks Redcelt, that's what I was looking for. :)
Also a great idea by Utgardloki. :)
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They're barbaric, in one sense of the word or the other. Honour and so on. Bravery. Big frikkin weapons.
Seriously, how do you think they become civilized? They use still larger blades and sturdier handles until the axe naturaly evolves into a plow, since it's too heavy for anything else than draging. An enraged barbarian warrior then starts runing around the village with the axe to vent off frustration and meanwhile plows his first field...
Another barbarian civilisation might actually result form a civilisation much more advanced. If their cultural world was engulfed in a prolonged bloody war they might have forsaken civilisation as an evil thing that bruíngs only suffering. This may give your barbarians some interesting insights, relics and quirks.
I only read the original post but, why not just give them some tribal rage powers they can take? I don't really think they need a template, that's just me though.
In my own 3.5 homebrew, I had some house rules that were made to different the various ethnic groups. The two "barbarian" cultures were the Dora-Tachuk, who somewhat resembled the Vikings, and the Kosaka, who somewhat resembled the Mongols.
Firstly PCs could optionally take ethnic ability adjustments. This is +2 to one ability and -2 to another ability, but the bonus can not raise your ability above your racial maximum.
Dora-Tachuk characters could add +2 to Strength and -2 to Intelligence.
Kosaka males could add +2 to Strength and -2 to Charisma.
Kosaka females could add +2 to Charisma and -2 to Strength.
Secondly, each PC had a Personal Class Skill which had to be justified from the background. Dora-Tachuk might have Survival as a class skill. Kosaka might have Riding.
Thirdly, each human PC had 3 virtual skill points determined by ethnic group. Dora-Tachuk got 3 virtual skill points in Survival, while Kosaka got 3 virtual skill points in Ride. In order to build up these skills, skill points need to be assigned as normal, so to get 4 ranks in Survival (assuming it is a class skill), a Dora-Tachuk still has to spend 4 skill point in it.
Converting my skill rules to Pathfinder, I would do the following:
Each ethniticy has an Ethnic Class Skill. For Dora-Tachuk it is Survival. For Kosaka it is Ride. PCs consider their Ethnic Class skill to be a class skill, and get 1 free rank in this skill, so they are considered to be trained.
If you have the 3rd Edition Forgotten Realms books, I believe they have lots of ideas for granting special features to ethnic groups.
Now that Utgardloki mentions it, in my home-brewed game I gave each group of Humans an extra racial ability, for instance, 1 of the group gets Stability (the Dwarf ability) and another gets Low-Light Vision, etc. etc. etc.
Seriously, how do you think they become civilized? They use still larger blades and sturdier handles until the axe naturaly evolves into a plow, since it's too heavy for anything else than draging. An enraged barbarian warrior then starts runing around the village with the axe to vent off frustration and meanwhile plows his first field......
They're barbaric, in one sense of the word or the other. Honour and so on. Bravery. Big frikkin weapons.
And that's how they become domesticated oxen. Very civilised.
Though not every barbarian has the brains to be an ox.
Actually that might be the work of their shaman. When the mouthiest barbarian started to brag once again about his strength, comparing himself to a wild bull, he got tranformed, leaving the axe attached to his back and we're back at that frustration venting. Then the local gossip-monger, who was already considered to be such a cow and already happened to he this fool's wife, gots transformed and we have a domesticated breed right away. "At least they are useful to the tribe now!"